by Susanna Carr
“I don’t believe you.”
“That I have proof?” she said with a scowl. “Or that I won’t use it?”
All of it, Cooper decided. It wasn’t adding up. Why would someone spend years gathering information on the person she accused of ruining her life and then promise she wouldn’t use it? The Harrington shares were worth a lot, but were they enough to abandon her lifelong pursuit for revenge?
He could not give up the shares. He needed them for his own protection. Cooper might have a stellar reputation in the business world but no one knew about his first solo business deal with John Harrington, Jr.
Cooper was still ashamed of how he had obtained his first deal. He had been desperate to prove himself and show that he didn’t need his father’s name or influence to be a success. John Jr. knew how hungry Cooper was for negotiating a deal and had dangled insider knowledge in front of him. Cooper grabbed at it like a starving man. His first deal was huge and he made a stunning debut in the financial world. It helped him create a legendary image but only John Jr. knew the truth.
It was only a matter of time before John Harrington, Jr., used that information and the truth could destroy Cooper. When he had won the shares Harrington couldn’t afford to gamble away, Cooper knew he could keep John quiet. The Harrington shares were Cooper’s insurance for now.
“I want to see this so-called proof before I even consider giving up the shares,” he told Serena.
She glared at him. “I just gave it to you. I didn’t make it up. How would I have known the places and people unless I had the facts?”
“You repeated hearsay and rumors,” Cooper declared. “I won’t allow myself to be blackmailed for something that doesn’t exist.”
Her fingers bunched into a fist. She was obviously offended that he questioned her word and the work she had put so much effort into. “As I told you,” she bit out, “I don’t have the papers with me.”
Cooper nodded as if he was placating a child about to have a temper tantrum. “Of course you don’t.”
“And it would take too long to have them sent here,” she almost growled.
Cooper tilted his head. Too long? “Are we on a deadline?”
“Yes.” She pressed her lips together. He could see how she gathered her courage before she made her ultimatum. “If you don’t agree with this deal by the end of the week, then I will release the information about your father to the press.”
Hell. He could not let that happen. He needed to get her to see reason and gain her sympathy before she made a move. That required him to change tactics.
“Serena, I’m sure we can come up with an agreement that will satisfy both of us.” He covered her hand with his. His thumb grazed her wrist and he felt the kick of her pulse. He glanced up, startled, and saw the interest widening her eyes as the pleasure chased across her face. She snatched her hand away as if she’d been bit by something dangerous.
Serena Dominguez had been very careful around him. She had shut down his propositions and invitations. His flirtatious banter had been met with cool disdain. But she couldn’t hide her body’s reaction. She could no longer conceal the way her lips parted or the flush in her cheeks. She didn’t seem aware of her body language when she battled with him. Serena would often get closer, open and inviting, as if she forgot all the reasons she needed to maintain a distance.
“You can’t sweet-talk me into changing my mind,” she warned.
He bet he could. His smile was slow and lazy. Confident as the thrill of the hunt sizzled through his chest. As much as she tried to fight it, Serena Dominguez was attracted to him. He had just discovered her weakness.
Unfortunately, the attraction they shared was his weakness, too. He hadn’t seen that she was a worthy opponent until it was too late. But he knew he could use it to his benefit. He could get close to the fire without getting scorched. And, if he played this right, he would get Serena in his bed and on his side.
* * *
Serena didn’t like his seductive smile. She didn’t like how it sparked an uncontrollable excitement in her. The hum of energy danced in her veins and she needed it to stop. She placed her hands in her lap and absently stroked her wrist as if it had been burned.
How did Cooper have this kind of power over her? One grazing touch and she couldn’t think about anything else. It didn’t make sense. He had the Brock blood running through his veins. She should be shuddering with revulsion at the thought of breaking bread with him.
No man had power over her. Financially. Physically. Emotionally. She had witnessed how her mother’s future had been decided on by her father’s whims and choices. Serena didn’t understand why any woman would surrender that kind of control over their lives.
Cooper leaned forward and she automatically pressed her spine against the ornate wood chair. “Is this why you have avoided me all month?” he asked in a husky voice. “Because you see me as the enemy?”
“How could I avoid you?” she asked irritably. “You were everywhere I turned.”
“You refused every invitation I offered.”
“You mean every indecent proposal,” she snapped. He had been direct but never crude or coarse. She sensed the savage hunger beneath his veneer of civility, yet the man managed to make the promise of a one-night stand sound like a sacred experience. She rejected him outright but he didn’t give up. If anything, his invitations became more extravagant and imaginative. It had become a game between them.
There were moments when she wished she could have entertained the idea. A few times she wanted to forget about this revenge. Just for one night. Break free from the dark emotions that suffocated her. Explore the attraction she shared with Cooper. Enjoy life.
That was when she knew Cooper Brock was very dangerous. Not once had she considered stepping back from her vengeful plans until she met him. It worried her. She didn’t know why she felt that way. Did it mean her drive was weakening? Or that her desire for Cooper was stronger?
He propped his elbow on the table and rested his strong chin against his hand. “Why didn’t you say yes?”
Serena frowned. The man’s arrogance was reaching legendary proportions. “I wasn’t interested.”
“Yes, you were. From the moment we saw each other.”
She fell into silence as she remembered the first time she had seen Cooper. It was one of the few moments in her life when she’d followed an impulse and didn’t consider the risks. She had regretted it ever since.
Serena had been in London and heard Cooper was going to be the guest speaker at a charity dinner. She had decided to attend so she could study him from afar. It hadn’t quite worked out that way. He had noticed her the moment she had stepped into the ballroom.
“Why were you there that night?” Cooper asked, and his mouth tilted into a lopsided grin. “Was it to meet me? You had been so fascinated with what you had already learned that you needed to see me in the flesh?”
Cooper’s teasing comment wasn’t that far off from the truth. She had been reluctantly impressed by his achievements and she’d believed—hoped—he wouldn’t live up to the hype. As much as she tried to convince herself that he got where he was because of his name, she had a feeling he would have been a success no matter what.
“I wanted to support a worthy cause,” she said primly. Serena didn’t feel the need to encourage his oversize ego.
“Really?” His Southern drawl was thick and sexy. “What was the charity for?”
Her mind went blank. Serena’s eyes widened as she tried to recall the charity’s logo but it was all a little fuzzy. Her full attention had been on Cooper Brock. From the amused gleam in his eyes, Cooper knew it.
“It was one of the many events I’ve attended in the past month. They all blend together,” she argued. “What do you remember from that night?”
“Your ha
ir was pulled back in a severe knot,” he said quietly as his features softened, “and you wore a navy blue dress.”
She gave a jerk of surprise. “How— Why do you remember that?” And why did she remember every detail about him that night from the way his designer suit hung from his shoulders to the stubble shadowing his angular jaw?
“I remember that dress was better suited for a nun.” He shook his head and smiled at her. “Promise me you’ll never wear it again. Do mankind a favor and burn it.”
Serena pursed her lips, refusing to return his smile. The dress had been dowdy for a reason. She had decided to follow the unofficial dress code of her peers and chose dark, conservative clothes. She had worn no jewelry and a minimum of makeup but it didn’t help. She had still stood out. “I was trying to blend in with the other guests.”
Her plan had been to stay in the shadows and get lost in the crowd while she studied him. Cooper Brock had been easy to find. Everyone had a tendency to gravitate to him. He had been holding court in the hotel ballroom, surrounded by titans of industries who were hanging on to his every word.
And then he noticed her when she crossed the threshold. He had done a double take and his voice had trailed off. Cooper had reared his head back as if he had been struck. And the moment their eyes had met...
Their gazes held as she remembered that moment of impact. She knew Cooper was remembering it, too. Serena’s skin grew hot and she felt an insistent tug low in her belly. That instantaneous connection had been scary, exciting and shocking. Serena was used to wielding power over men, but not like this. And no man had made her want to capitulate immediately. Completely.
She had been tempted to turn on her heels and run but she also knew it would have been useless. Cooper Brock would have pursued her. And she would have considered letting him catch her. That had knocked some sense into her. Serena had known that her only option was to stand up to him and defy every wish he made.
She wondered how strong his desire was now that he knew she had the power to destroy him. At the moment it was so thick it was almost tangible. But how quickly would it disappear once he realized she was going to go through with her revenge? Would he still watch her silently with that slumberous look when she went back on her word? Would he want to caress her after she told the whole world how his father conducted business?
As much as the attraction between them intrigued her, she wasn’t going to submit to it. She was going to toy with Cooper, let him know what it was like to lose everything. She was going to crush the Brock empire just as they had crushed her father’s company.
And then she was going to discard Cooper Brock and move on with her life.
CHAPTER FOUR
SERENA SET DOWN her small coffee cup over an hour later and frowned as she watched Cooper on the other side of the table. “I should be the one paying for the dinner. You are my guest.”
“So you said.” Cooper didn’t look up as he signed the bill. “Repeatedly.”
The man seemed to find the idea of a woman paying for his meal deeply offensive. She had found his traditional view entertaining until she realized he was serious. His comments were not designed to irritate her. Cooper Brock truly believed it was a man’s duty—a man’s right—to provide.
Nothing she said or did could sway him to change his mind and she had grudgingly conceded this skirmish. If she had caused a scene she doubted he would have backed down. She had not met a man who was as stubborn or as certain of his beliefs.
She had discovered over dinner that Cooper Brock had very strong opinions. Trepidation curled around her chest and squeezed hard. If he felt his family had done nothing wrong, would he sign over the shares to prevent the release of the information she had? For the first time since she proposed the idea to Spencer Chatsfield, Serena wasn’t so sure. There was a very good chance that this strategy would not work.
It had to work. She didn’t want to think of the financial repercussions if it didn’t. Serena willed herself not to panic. She waited for this moment because she understood what the Alves land represented to Cooper. It was his ultimate ambition to get the one deal his father could not.
This was the only reason why she stepped out of her safe corner and challenged him. He had not been as emotionally invested in a deal like the Alves land. He took the interference personally. She needed to have more faith in her research and strategy. Now was not the time to have second thoughts.
“Shall we?” he asked as he rose and walked around the table to assist her.
Serena reluctantly accepted his help as she got up from her seat. She had found a perverse joy in having dinner with Cooper. It was like playing chess with a grand master. He had a sharp mind and was a brilliant conversationalist. He could have her laughing one moment and debating vociferously with him the next. She had to think several moves ahead of him and that was unusual for her. Most of the time she was waiting for her dinner companions to catch up with her.
And at some point during the evening Cooper had decided on his negotiating tactic, Serena thought as they left the restaurant, the cool breeze wafting over her skin. He was going to use his sex appeal and raw masculinity to soften her stance. It was a risky move on his part since she had refused him all these weeks.
He was definitely using his charm to gain her sympathy. Did he think that one encounter with him would turn her head? He had great confidence in his skills if he thought she would eventually find it difficult to destroy him.
It wouldn’t work, she decided with a grim smile. She knew how to be ruthless. How to hold on to the anger and feed from it to get the job done. It had been the only way to get out of sudden poverty and provide for her family.
Cooper tilted his head back as the breeze ruffled his short blond hair. She found it surprising that a man with such wealth and power, a man who had everything, would find pleasure in something so simple.
“Let’s walk along the beach,” he suggested.
Have a moonlit stroll? Could he be more obvious? She wanted to roll her eyes but she found herself giving a nod. She was curious to see what his next move would be. Serena slipped off her stiletto heels and walked with Cooper on the pristine beach, staying at least an arm’s length away.
The sand was soft and cool against her bare feet. She heard the rhythmic roll of the waves and the breeze tugging at the palm trees. For a moment she remembered one of the many beach getaways she and her family used to take. Those stolen moments had been fun and adventurous, filled with love and laughter.
When was the last time she had taken the time to enjoy the world around her? Serena glanced at Cooper. Or had been alone with a man late at night?
A long time, she admitted to herself as she followed Cooper to the water’s edge. Too long. She often told her matchmaking relatives that she didn’t have time to date. It took commitment to build a fortune that could protect her and her family. While her friends were getting on with their lives, she had been caught in the past, researching the Brock empire and following every lead so she could take them down.
And once she had readjusted her target to Cooper Brock, she gradually found that no man could compare. It wasn’t his achievements that she found fascinating, but rather the way he had handled disappointments and the rare failure. The man didn’t have the Midas touch everyone assumed. But his tenacity and intelligence grabbed her attention. She also admired that he did not abuse the power that was always in his firm grasp.
Of course, he never faced the need to break the law, Serena reminded herself. Aaron Brock did the dirty work and Cooper reaped the benefits.
But soon he would know what it felt like to lose everything. To be collateral damage and not have the power to stop it. Suddenly and without warning. He would find out what it was like to be alone and afraid.
It shouldn’t matter how Cooper would handle the reversal of fortune. She didn�
��t want to care if or how he would recover. Why was she curious? No one cared how she had survived. No one thought about her. She had been an innocent bystander. Voiceless. Powerless. Meaningless.
But the Brock family would remember her name after this week. Her revenge had been an intense and exhausting journey but it was almost over. Once she dismantled the Brock empire, she could relax and...
Serena frowned when she couldn’t complete that thought. And what? She wasn’t sure. She hadn’t allowed herself to think that far ahead. She didn’t know what to do with the rest of her life. What would make her get out of bed each morning? How would she find the happiness that had eluded her? She couldn’t remember the last time she had been happy and fulfilled.
“You’re very quiet.” Cooper was watching the waves as he slid his hands into his pockets. “Are you still plotting my demise?”
The teasing lilt of his voice rankled. Did he find her revenge a lark? Was her lifelong mission humorous to him? “You don’t take me very seriously, do you?” Her voice sounded rough to her ears. “That would be a mistake.”
He turned away from the ocean and looked at her. He didn’t seem surprised by her angry expression. He paused and she knew he was choosing his words carefully. “I believe you have very strong emotions about what happened,” Cooper said. “But fourteen years is a long time to hold on to the need for revenge.”
It was. Her journey in and out of poverty had not defined her as much as her drive to destroy the Brock empire. She didn’t give up or accept her circumstances. It had lit a fire in her that made her believe she could accomplish anything if she worked hard enough.
“You had plenty of opportunities to come forward with this so-called evidence,” he said. “Why now? Why not two years ago?”
She wished she had acted two years ago but she hadn’t felt ready. She knew she needed more. More information, more power, more courage. She was facing a giant alone. She had no support and no one was watching her back. Her parents were too afraid, too traumatized, to even discuss the idea of vengeance.
